The
earliest known picture of a May-pole is taken from a drawing
of a window in Betley Hall, Staffordshire, England,
erected in the mid-1460s during the rule of Edward IV

Called Beltane
by the Celts, Walpurgis by the Teutons, and Floralia by the Romans, May
festivals were a time of "wearing of the green." Throughout the Northern
Hemisphere, the month of May is a time to celebrate renewal of life. May
is named for Maia, grandmother, the Goddess of death and fertility. Maia
scorns marriage, so it is a good idea to put weddings off until June.
Although less stern goddesses now oversee May festivities, wreaths and
baskets of Hawthorn are still used in some May festivals in Maia's honor.

The May-pole
is the most familiar feature of May festivities, but it has three distinct
interpretations. In some cultures, the May-pole represented the world
center, or alternately, the hub of the Wheel of heaven. In ancient times,
the intricate dance of weaving cords around the pole was a magical attempt
to direct Nature, which had become topsy-turvy over the course of time,
back in order. Today the dance is performed by any who wish to participate
in weaving the magic.

In other
cultures, the May-pole was the Tree of Life, or a symbol of it. And this
tree-- to borrow a phrase from Billy Holiday-- bore strange fruit. This
is where the Savior was sacrificed in order to cleanse the earth. Holy
Communion, eating his flesh and drinking his blood was possibly restricted
to the priest class, but symbolic May Wine was liberally imbibed by the
whole community. Hundreds of years later, the Christian lunar festival
of Easter would replace the ancient solar festival as the time of renewal
and rebirth.

The third
meaning of the May-pole most clearly remains today. It is the phallus,
the male principle of fertilization. Female principles are represented
by baskets and wreaths used in the dances around the pole. In past times,
the hand-fasting movements of the dances would give young couples license
to 'go into the green' together. In some regions, a merlin, or renegade
friar, would preside over the mock marriages. Even today, unwed couples
consummate the mock marriages performed around the May-pole. Merry-begats,
as they were called in England, were usually not acknowledged by their
fathers. These babies were said to have been fathered by god.

In northwest
Germany, May-poles are tall trees, cut down and stripped of bottom branches.
The upper branches are decorated, then the pole is hoisted, often with
the help of a crane, onto a tall post high above the villages. In southern
Germany, the May-pole is a stylized structure that will stand for the
entire year. On each of its branches is a symbol of each trade or vocation
that the villagers pursue.

Traditional
May Day is a solar festival, celebrated on May fifth, halfway between
spring equinox and summer solstice. In England, Queen of the May, Maid
Marian, mounted on a white horse is the central figure in the May Day
mumming. In ancient times, she would pair off with Merddin as her consort.
Nowadays, Merddin is the bearded old wizard, Merlin, and Marian's consort
is Robin Hood.

Robert
Graves identifies Maid Marian as the sea Goddess Marian, a virgin dressed
in a blue robe, wearing a string of pearls. Occasionally referred to as
Merrymaid, but more commonly known as Mermaid, she was worshipped by merriners,
(now spelled mariners) who would sacrifice to her. "Mer" meaning sea,
is the origin of the epithet Merry England, --Rose in the Sea.

Like the
Goddess, Maid Marian is surrounded with Merry men. Little John, Will Scarlet,
Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, and others form a band of thirteen. Morris Men,
who perform a stylized folk dance are commonly believed to have been imported
from the near east, Moors who danced a Moorish dance. However, a more
ancient spelling indicates that these may have been Mari's men. Mari,
the Mother Goddess, fruitful, and compassionate, is usually portrayed
holding an apple from the Tree of Life. She turns the Wheel of heaven,
and is the mother of the Archer of Love.

Iris is
also known as the mother of Love. She was the Goddess of the rainbow,
which was the bridge between heaven and earth. In Greek mythology, she
lured mourning Demeter, the grain Goddess, out of her cave so that the
land would become fruitful again. In Genesis, angered by Yahweh's Flood,
she removed the bridge from earth to heaven so he could not receive his
sacrifices. When he promised to never flood the earth again, Iris replaced
the rainbow.

In Japan,
Iris's rainbow bridge is called the road of the gods. May is Iris month,
with Boy's Doll Day celebrated on May fifth. Young men drink Iris tea
and bath in an Iris infusion to promote health and fertility. Because
of the sword shaped leaf and the blossom that resembles female genitalia,
the Iris is the symbol of the male and female principles united.

Celebrated
for thousands of years throughout diverse cultures, Mayday could be the
most ancient religious festival in the Northern Hemisphere. Ritual human
sacrifice to a death/fertility goddess was certainly practiced until the
1st Century BCE. As nature became less fearsome, and more cultivated,
the nature goddess became less powerful and bloodthirsty. Today, we still
celebrate the remnants of an
ancient religion, Nature turning on the Wheel of Heaven.